ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
US Embassy and Consulate Discussionus-fiance present at the interview - yes or no
I notice that alot of things get made to seem very easy, simple or not important when most people respond to questions. Here is somethings I think need to be taken in to account...

1. Seems like all the interviews that go really easy are when the Beneficiary is posting in English about how easy the interview went. One thing to take notice of is that most all of those saying this are from larger, well developed countries in Europe or Canada and they speak english.

2. If you are 50 and your fiancee is 20 and your relationship is truly a loving relationship. You better have plenty of evidence or go ahead and be there to show you two ARE doing this together.

3. If your fiancee is not a very estute individual used to dealing with contracts, forms or other business they may get a little overwhelmed with the visa process as compared to us americans dealing with tax forms, credit card apps and so many other types of paperwork we see every day.

In other words if your situation is comparable to those giving the advice then take it. But if your situation differs, possibly in the way I have mentioned maybe you should put some more effort into doing all that you possibly can. It can only help.
PachucoBroMaleColombia2006-08-17 13:12:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionReceived Interview Date!
Well I was really hating the fact that once your petition hits the embassy there is no real way to check on the status of things. My fiancee sent off DS-230 and DS-2001 on the 17th of August, the day after DHL said they delivered a package to Bogota. She forgot to send OF-169, which is the older version of the DS-2001 that Bogota supposedly still uses. When she sent these forms to Bogota I had her fax them and mail them via a secure mail carrier. Not sure what that carrier name was, but I don't think it was Adpostal, which is the Colombian (National) mail courier.

After that was done we waited a week with no Packet 3 or 4 and no changes in the Interview Dates on the Embassy website. Finally this morning I checked the site again and it had the September interview dates... SWEET! September 21st BABY! 3 and a half weeks and we will be at the interview in Bogota!

I plan to be there for the interview and then to accompany her back to Barranquilla to see hre familyone last time and then buy some tickets to get her to the states (IF all goes well with the VISA interview, which I have no worries about).

Couldn't have gotten this far without all the help and information on this site...thanks and kudos to everyone for posting messages and experiences.
PachucoBroMaleColombia2006-08-29 10:15:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionInterview scheduled on Embassy website

If your interview has been set, you can expect the appointment letter about a week.


This is not a great answer being that it depends heavily on what country you are in and where the letter is to be mailed. For example MANY people in colombia do not receive packet 3 or 4 due to poor mail delivery in Colombia.
PachucoBroMaleColombia2006-08-29 14:36:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussionis my income adequate enough?
If I lived in Alaska, single with 5 or 6 kids... I would be looking at an employment visa to find someone willing to be a live in housekeeper/nanny for cheap!

As for income requirements I briefly looked at them knowing I made more than enough. From what I saw it seemed like most things the government offers.... You have to be practically homeless to qualify or in this case disqualified.

I think in most cases the petitioner, being able to afford to fly to the beneficiarie's country and have some sort of vacation there, probably makes enough money to qualify.

Even the person that was 18 had his parents to help him out.
PachucoBroMaleColombia2006-08-30 19:05:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionApproval on way to Embassy -- Next Step?

for K-1 visa will not need the DS-230. also at some point she will need to attend CFO.
here's a useful link to embassy website if you want to see what the Fiancee Visa Appointment Package looks like.

http://manila.usemba...ov/wwwfivk1.pdf


Just a small note... Your statement about the DS-230 seems to be correct for the Phillipines, however it is not true for all K-1 Visas. In my situation, Colombia, they require you to send a completed DS-230 when you reply back to the Packet 3, before getting a packet 4.

Reason being... a K-1 Visa beneficiary will possibly become an Immigrant at some point in the process.
PachucoBroMaleColombia2006-08-30 18:58:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussiontracking case number

The only way to do so is to phone the Embassy and ask.

Jen


For the Colombian Embassy that won't get you far. They have an information number that you have to pay $14US for one call or 15mins or something like that. Then they tell you that that number can only issue an appointment date for beneficiaries who have already been given an appointment previously. The people answering this phone number can not pull up status information.

If you call the general Embassy number they do not answer Visa status questions as you are goign to reach some receptionist type person at a front desk and they can only transfer you to who knows where.

And when this person asked me if I had received packet 3 or 4 and I said no not yet. She responded with oh well you need to wait atleast 6 months first. Ok I will chalk that answer up to a language barrier, because that is the length of time all of us VJers know it usually takes from I-129F receive date to Visa approved date.

Hope your emabssy works differently or someone else can share a better experience with the Colombian Embassy and enlighten me.

Edited by PachucoBro, 30 August 2006 - 07:32 PM.

PachucoBroMaleColombia2006-08-30 19:30:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussiontracking case number
The hand holding that the USCIS gives us with their website is non-existent after NVC and the foreign Embassy get ahold of our Petitions. It frustrated me as well. All I did was reply back with the Packet 3 forms before ever receiving Packet 3 and watch the Embassy interview dates for our case number to appear.

The day the website started showing the interview dates for September, which is what we had been waiting for, Packet 3 and Packet 4 showed up at the same time. We waited about 2 weeks as well.
PachucoBroMaleColombia2006-08-30 19:24:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Medical Exams

hi, i read your posting about the medical, and this is what i found about it

*Some embassies require the medical the same day as the interview. Most require the interview to be done ahead of time and have the results sent to the embassy directly from the doctor.
*This may occur after an interview date is given.


Yes this information is the typical stuff you can read in the various posts and embassy websites, etc. But alot of that is old information as well as not very accurate.

As to your suggestion about asking the embassy... Evidentally some countries that are more developed have very well run Embassies, however I do no think Colombia is one of them. You can not ask such inquisitive questions of the staff who answer the information number. If you can even find one that does not cost $14US to call.

Was looking for more practical advice from those who have gone through the Bogota Embassy. Thanks for the advice though.

I have no idea about the interview thing...I just know that you guys are simply gorgeous. If looks were an indication on how long a marriage would last, then you 2 would be together forever!

Aye! La bonita y el chulo. Muy guapos!


You are too kind! Thanks for the compliment.
PachucoBroMaleColombia2006-08-30 22:02:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Medical Exams
We now have our Interview date which is the 21st of September, a Thursday. I would like to know how many days in advance should my fiancee arrive in Bogota to complete all the necessary doctors visits. Since our interview is on a Thursday can she get everything done if she arrives in Bogota Monday morning?
PachucoBroMaleColombia2006-08-30 19:14:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionPlane Ticket Planning - Embassy Interview
Well here is an issue... people say don't buy the tickets in advance because obviously if something goes wrong there went your money if you can't leave on the day you were supposed to. BUT! If you buy tickets 2 weeks in advance, to say Bogota from the States you are gonna pay about $800 round trip. If you try and buy the same tickets 2-5 days in advance you will pay about $1200.

Anyone come up with some cool ideas on arranging flights for yourself and your fiancee when you plan to fly to the interview and return together? Another caveat to my situation is that the Embassy is in Bogota, but my fiancee lives in Barranquilla and both of us would like to see her family before departing...LOL add in some more tickets and planning!

Oh and I live in Austin, Texas for those who don't read the profiles.
PachucoBroMaleColombia2006-08-30 19:21:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionForms that need to be notarized
Hmmm... I bank with Washington Mutual in the U.S. and they notorized three copies of the I-134, which is the only one that needs to be notorized, for FREE!
PachucoBroMaleColombia2006-09-14 19:44:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionPACKET 4 QUESTION.....
Well my fiancee and I put together the Packet 3 response ahead of time, but later she received Packet 3 and 4 together. 3-4 weeks later I received a copy of Packet 3 and 4, ofcourse it was all in Spanish.
PachucoBroMaleColombia2006-09-17 11:03:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionI will be in Bogota next week.

Triple viral, is paperas, rubeola y sarampion, and MMR stands for: measles, mumps and rubella, si this two are exactly trhe same, so if this are the only requiered we are cool!
Did you received the specific information about vaccines in your packets? I didnt....


Sounds like you are looking at the same vaccines, but one is in Spanish and the other in English. So my vote is... ALL IS GOOD!
PachucoBroMaleColombia2006-09-15 10:26:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionI will be in Bogota next week.

I will also be traveling to Bogota from 9/26 to 10/1 for our interview at the embassy. Obviously we are anxious to get this process completed.


DOH! I will just have missed you. We fly out of Bogota to Barranquilla on the 22nd. I am just hoping it is going to be a happy flight! :yes:
PachucoBroMaleColombia2006-09-14 19:46:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionI will be in Bogota next week.
WOW! I am away from the computer for one day and tons of messages!

Let's see...

BogotaApartments.com
Their website is lacking in many ways, however it does work. Not more than 15-30 minutes after using the website to type in my credit card info Ingrid called me to confirm the information. They evidentally do not take Mastercard so I ended up paying using MoneyGram. I only had to pay for the first night up front.

Ingrid speaks english and spanish and her office number is 1-305-735-2070 from the states or 57-1-214-9697 if calling from Colombia. Be sure to mention my name, Abel Ramirez, maybe she'll be more apt to make your reservations easier or better if she knows we are all coming from the same referrals.

Call first and tell Ingrid what you need and she will confirm the price for you over the phone. The website just gathers the card info she fills in the rest manually after speaking to you.


Medical Exams and Vaccines
My fiancee is from Barranquilla and she has had her vaccines done recently at the Red Cross. The three vaccinations stated on the Packet 3 list for 18-64 years of age is all you need (3). They are the ones listed by others further up in this thread. Evidentally the Red Cross people are used to Visa Beneficiaries and they know what to give them.

Also, my finacee had no record of prior vaccinations and evidentally that is pretty common and not a hinderance. just as long as they get the 3 prescribed in the list.

She has already made her appointment for the exams in Bogota and she will fill me in on the details via email once she is done with them.


Receiving the Visa
I am going by what has been told by others. You come back the following day after 4pm to pick it up if you are approved during the interview. I hope this is true cuz the plane tickets are already purchased! LOL


How to know your Interview Date
The Embassy website only publishes the dates for the current month. They update the one page for the next month's dates around the last week of the current month. You must already have a Case Number, first assigned by NVC, to be able to look for your appointment on the Interview Date List. Note: This list is for Immigrant Visas Only, which is what they interpret a K-1 to be since if married the Beneficiary will remain in the U.S.


To those who sent me emails I will be sure to reply soon... am in the process of cleaning house and packing things already. These next 5 days can't go by fast enough!
PachucoBroMaleColombia2006-09-14 19:41:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionI will be in Bogota next week.
Well I will be in Bogota the night before our Interview at the Embassy, 21 SEP 06.

My fiancee will be there in Bogota on the morning of the 18th to do her medical exams and other last minute items like photos and such.

If any of you guys have questions about the area, hotels, airlines, etc. Let me know. Also my fiancee would LOVE to meet anyone else that will be going through the process as she has said she will be going crazy being in Bogota (new city to her) waiting for the final day.

So if you have questions or would like to forward contact information so your fiancee can ask questions in spanish...just ask.

Also I found a great deal, in my opinion on a place to stay. It is a one bedroom apartment with free breakfast, phone calls to the US and Canada and internet for only $45 a night. They also have single rooms w/ private bath for as cheap as $30 a night.

Go to www.BogotaApartments.com and tell Ingrid that Abel Ramirez sent ya!
PachucoBroMaleColombia2006-09-13 12:32:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionMedical Done in Bogota!!!

Yipppeeeeee one more step closer to the Visa!! Luisa finished her medical appointments today in Bogota! Anyone gong thru the whole Visa process in Colombia that has any questions about the medical process, feel freee to drop me a line!!


Congrats, Carl. I will message you after this post.. I am currently in Bogota and will be going to Barranquilla later this evening, but my finacee, Belkis would be happy to speak to anmyone wanting some last minute answers to how the whole embassy process works. We just got ours approved and in hand yesterday.
PachucoBroMaleColombia2006-09-23 10:08:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionBogota Embassy & cell phones??

Can anyone tell me if they allow you to take your cell phones with you to the embassy in Bogota?? I remember going to the Japanese embassy to see a friend last time I was in Bogota and they had lockers out front that you could store personnal items before actually entering the embassy. Is the US Embassy similar? The reason I ask, Luisa has her interview on Tuesday, and I was hoping that she could call me as soon as the meeting was over to tel me how the interview went.


Bogota says you can take in cell phones that do not have cameras, but they do ask that you turn the ringers off. If the phone has a camera be prepared to leave it at home or check it at the front door.

Once your fiancee has the YES it will only take her 3-5 minutes to get back to the front gate and get her cell phone to call you. Once they giove you the YES your fiancee can head straight for the exit.
PachucoBroMaleColombia2006-09-30 22:09:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionStrange Medical Exam Question/Form

She also wanted to remind you that you need to sign the DS156 in front of the doctor, you will need your vaccination card and (according to Jairo Roa's nurse) you have to have six pictures for them.


She 'needed' to ssign the DS-156 form in front of the doctor? Why? That form doesn't have anything to do with medical stuff.... ???

So the nurse said they need 6 photos just for the medical exams? Did your finacee have all 6 with her already or did she have to come back?
PachucoBroMaleColombia2006-09-14 20:12:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionIMPORTANT: Time to receive Visa in Bogota

We have worked very hard to have all the requested paperwork, in fact she has printed out around 250 emails, has all my phone records for the last year, hotel receipts, airplane receipts, engagement ring receipt, flower receipts, cards, bank transactions (wire transactions to her account), and photos. I really hope whoever conducts her interview is in a good mood!!


The printing out of emails is really overkill. Even the Emabssy people say DO NOT put a bunch of email print outs and evidence of relationship in to the initial folder which the consul will use to decide on issuing a visa. They merely tell you to hold on to the information so IF they ask you for it they can view it. I selected about 10 emails throughout the 1 year time period most of them in the beginning half since I did not have much other evidence of phone conversations during that period.
PachucoBroMaleColombia2006-09-30 22:13:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionIMPORTANT: Time to receive Visa in Bogota
Ok well we returned to the embassy this afternoon even though our ticket said to come back on Monday. They allowed my fiancee in and told me I had to wait outside.

Sure enough! They had the visa ready and waiting. So the money I spent yesterday changin all of our airline tickets was for nothing. We could have stuck to our original plan.

So my advice would be allow for the 2 day wait, but go back the following day and ask if the Visa is ready.
PachucoBroMaleColombia2006-09-22 20:51:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionIMPORTANT: Time to receive Visa in Bogota
Ok... YAY! we were approved yesterday in Bogota for Belkis' Visa.

But it is bitter sweet when the consul told me we would need to come back on Monday to get it. I was like ummm WHY!? He said there is a new process they are doing that K-1 Visas take 2 days for processing. This wouldn't be so bad if our interview was on Wednesday not Thursday, because now we must change all our airline tickets and plans for hotels to stay here in Bogota for several more days.

Ok now there is also SOME hope....
My fiancee makes friends easily and knows of another person who was told 2 days on Wednesday, but they went back to check on the visa on Thursday and sure enough they had the Visa ready.

So right now, today, we plan on doing the same thing. We are going to go to the Embassy today and check to see if it is ready even though it has only been 1 day.

I will also give a full explanation of how our interview went because it would seem no one has ever really explained the process other than... Enter the embassy, sit and wait for interview, do the interview and then get the Visa.

Believe me, the process is MUCH less scary once you are there. I lost all worries once we were inside and began the process. Unless you have alot of other issues like many marriages or you are trying to also bring children to the states or other extenuating circumstances.... It is a FOR SURE THING. Do not worry about the questions at the interview or anything. It is completely worry free.

I promise to explain later or once I am back in the states WITH my fiancee next week.
PachucoBroMaleColombia2006-09-22 10:18:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionResults of Interview in Bogota
Congrats Danny and Adri!

You beat me to posting the full details of the interview, DOH! Guess I will still post mine later today.
PachucoBroMaleColombia2006-10-04 07:36:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionEmbassy Interview Experience
Review of Bogota Embassy
September 2006


Locating the Embassy
Unlike most cities in Colombia the Taxi drivers in Bogota don't seem to know where places are. So be sure to have an address available for them to go by and maybe an idea of the direction the Embassy is from where you at. The embassy is a large, white, 2-story building with several large satellite dishes mounted on the roof.


Entering the Embassy
There will be markers on poles outside the entrance to the Emabssy numbered 1 - 4. If you have some form of the K visa line 3 will be the one you want. Closer to opening time there are announcements via loudspeaker telling you what line to be in. It is all in Spanish so listen close or make friends in line.

The announcements and the Embassy employees who will soon be checking documents of the people in line will tell you to have your Passport and Interview Notice paperwork available for viewing.

After you have been checked off for having a reason to be there that day you will file in to the Emabssy. There are two lines and I believe they seperate by male or female. This is also where you will be told to check-in your cell phone or other electronics that could possible record anything, audio or video. If you have a cell phone that does nothing, but make and receive phone calls, you should be abel to take it in. If you phone has a camera on it be prepared to check it.

The entire Embassy process, the waiting, the interview, everything... happens outside. You are in a sort of quadrangle with four walls and a large portion of the area has a built up roof and the most of the rest has some sort of canopy or coverage against sun and rain. On two of the walls are several windowed stations. Reminiscent of a prison visit with bulletproof glass, stainless steel counter, a small opening to pass paperwork under the glass and even a telephone handset you need to pick up and use if you are to hear anything the embassy personnel tells you.

Be sure to bring clothes to keep you comfortable in the day's climate. There is a small stand that sells various types of coffee and pastries for breakfast so if you didn't get a chance to eat something no problem. Restrooms are also near by and easy to get to.


First Stop - Assembling Your Paperwork
Your first stop will be a waiting line where someone will instruct you on assembling the 'Investigation Folder' (I.F. for short and yes I made up the name for the folder, but it will make sense later). The instructions for the I.F. is essentially what you got in Packet 3 where it talks about what information you need to have for your Interview. They ask you to put all your paperwork in the exact order as on the list. They also ask you not to use any staples, clips or other binding type stuff. Just insert all the papers loose in the proper order.

Also, they ask that you NOT include all your evidence of relationship in this folder. Simply hold onto that information for later.

When you are issued the folder the person notes your name to make a list of who to call for the Second Stop. So after you are done with assembling your folder just wait for them to call your name to go to the Second Stop. If you are not ready no big deal just tell them you are not and they will go to the next person. Just be sure to flag someone down when you are ready or they may forget about you.


Second Stop - Verification of Paperwork
When they call you name next you will be directed to a particular window based on it's number. All the windowed counters have a number on a banner next to it easily visible from anywhere. This stop is for submitting your I.F. for the Embassy Personnel to review and investigate further. I believe that this person merely ensures you have included all the right paperwork in the folder and have filled in some of the DS- forms properly. This person enters some information in to the computer. Will ask a few questions in spanish to your finacee, but are merely questions about the paperwork, nothing like the interview questions. No worries here. This person will not need or want to talk to you (the american citizen) so just stay back and quiet. Also at this stop they will ask you fiancee to place their index fingers on a computer type fingerprinter for security.

Once this person is done with you they will return to you some paperwork that they no longer need and the I.F. will then be looked at by someone else who will actually analyze the information in the I.F.

At this point you still have not been interviewed and you still are holding on to your eveidence of relationship. You will now proceed to what could be described as the longest wait of your life.


Third Stop - Waiting for Interview
The time for this stop depends on many things such as what your position was in line at the first stop. Those that turned in their I.F. first will have their investigation process started sooner obviously. It also depends on what kind of K Visa you have, how much papaerwork you have that needs to be looked at, etc. Our process was very straight forward, no previous marriages, no kids in the foreign country, just two single people wanting to get married. We also were like 3rd in line at the First Stop so we only had to wait maybe one and a half hours for the interview.


The Interview
Everyone fears this and I did also until the morning of the interview when I woke up. Why? Because I KNEW deep down we had all the paperwork assembled IN ORDER, filled in, in duplicate. We had all the evidence we felt necessary to prove our relationship, which was:

Photos from my first visit to Barranquilla (8 photos)
Photocopies of various ATM and hotel receipts (4 pages)
Airline Iteneraries for my 2 visits prior to the Interview (8 pages)
Printouts of phone card purchases (2 pages)
Printouts of Skype calling histories (4 pages)
Printouts of Yahoo Mail Folder with just emails to/from my finacee in list format (6 pages)
Printouts of 4 emails in full with text and headers (6 pages)

In our case I also knew that there was no reason to be denied due to our relationship not being evident as I had visited Colombia 2 times, once for an entire month and had all kinds of proof that we had been communicating the entire time. I never had any photos of us other than from my first visit which were included in my I-129F petition. I did not print out all 200 emails sent to and from each other. I merely selected 4 from within the first 3 or so months since I did not have much evidence in the way of phone cards for that time period.

Now on to the actual interview... While you are waiting you will be listening for the overhead speaker to call out the name of your finacee. The message will tell you what window to go to. Get up and go with your fiancee and stand behind her in silence, but with a pleasant smile on your face. She will talk with the Consul on the telephone and you may be able to hear a little of the other side of the conversation through the small window opening.

This is where the Consul will ask the infamous QUESTIONS and ask for the evidence of the relationship paperwork. If you are one of those that brought a suitcase worth, please have ready a small concise packet of evidence and give it to the Consul stating you have more evidence with you IF needed.

Here were our questions:

Where did you meet your finace (US Citizen)?
On the internet. In a chat room on Yahoo Messenger.

How long have you known each other?
About 10 months.

The consul then saw I was standing there behind my fiancee eager to speak to him so he spoke to me in English asking the same two questions and a little chit chat about the internet.

DONE!

The consul then began to explain how to pick up our Visa and told us both how in Spanish. He stated that the Visa would need to be picked up in TWO days, which was different than everyone else had experienced. In our experience as well as two others we meet at the Embassy, return the next day and the Visa will be there waiting for you after 4:00pm.

Some things to note about our experience. Our Consul was a 'white guy' that spoke fluent spanish and had the world's WORST accent. I was there with my finacee at the interview. We had a very cut and dry petition as stated earlier, no foreign children, no previous marriages, we had solid evidence of a relationship with 2 visits to colombia prior to the interview. All these items I think contributed to our petition being so easy.
PachucoBroMaleColombia2006-10-04 08:57:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionVisa Approved in Bogota
Congratulations Carl!

Your fiancee's experience seems to be exactly what ours was. EASY! Stay in touch once you guys are back. Belkis would love to chat it up with some other Colombianas in her situation.
PachucoBroMaleColombia2006-10-04 07:27:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussionconvicion question

Has anyone here with a minor criminal convicion that is over 14 years old ever gotton a visa wihout a wavier?


In my non-legal opinion I doubt a minor criminal conviction over 14 years old is anything to worry about. Now if it is a felony type conviction then maybe you may need to ask some more detailed questions of an immigration lawyer. 14 years is a long time though even for a felony type conviction.

Drugs or violent crimes whether minor or felony might also make a big difference.

Edited by PachucoBro, 09 October 2006 - 01:49 PM.

PachucoBroMaleColombia2006-10-09 13:48:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionJust a tip about interview questions
I seriously think that the number of questions and the difficulty of them are dependent on what the information provided to the CO has told him/her. If you have a very simple application with a couple who have never been married before and don't have any kids, things should go very smoothly.

Just provide things that truly show you guys are together. That you have spent time together getting to know one another.

I think mine was wasy because I showed I had visited Colombia 3 times in one year to see her and one time was for a stay of one month. If I did not have that I think I would have just shown different type sof photos of us together doing different things. That is better than a bunch of photos taken in the same house with the same clothes on, ya know?

The emails and phone calls I think are the same. If you have evidence and you provide it to them you could screw up all the questions and be honest and say, "I don't know what his email means, but I know when he laughs on the phone he snorts like a pig." no.. seriously.... be real with the COs.

If you don't know the answer to something tell them without a worried look on your face. Give the CO some other tid bit of information that you do know that maybe is similar information or subject matter.
PachucoBroMaleColombia2006-12-21 03:07:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Club
So anyone have recent info on what form to use, the OF-169 or the DS-2001? I have the OF-169 that Peter copied and boy does it look outdated compared to all the other countries OF-169 and DS-2001. Just wondered if someone had more recent printable copies as I would liek to have the Response to Packet 3 ready as soon as it arrives at the Embassy.

Anyone have experience in sending the Packet 3 response ahead of receiving Packet 3?
PachucoBroMaleColombia2006-08-16 01:31:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Club

There is no need for you ( the American ) to fret about packets 3 and 4. Colombians are very savy people. They can handle all of the forms. All they need from you is the I 134, some tax records, an employment letter, and we did another letter showing intent. There is no need for you to be filling DS230s and OF 169s. They are very intelligent people.

Ok this is true in the same way someone says, "Americans are very savy and don't need to fret about tax forms as there are instructions available on how to fill them out." ALOT of 'smart' people still don't know how to fill out their tax forms. I know I worry that my fiancee does not read things fully or pays attention to detail. She has gotten in trouble in the past with contracts of a loan or business transaction nature. Just like in the states there are varying types of people and education. It doesn't hurt to fill out as much information as possible and have it ready FOR SURE when the time comes.

We stressed a lot about flights and timing also. We finally gave up. I scheduled my flight round trip to Bogota and I scheduled flights for Lucero and Angelica after the petition was approved. This actaully gave us some breathing room. Remember that your fiance is leaving her home. Let her say goodbye to her friends. Go home and get your house in order before she comes. A couple of weeks will not kill either of you. When she gets here it will be quite some time before she can go home again.

Definitely great advice about saying goodbye. I plan on accompanying my fiancee back to her hometown and throwing a big going away party before both of us departing together. I plan on buying a round trip ticket to Bogota and buying all the other tickets after we are sure we get the Visa.

Edited by PachucoBro, 15 August 2006 - 11:40 PM.

PachucoBroMaleColombia2006-08-15 23:40:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Club

I guess I am the newest member of Club Colombia. Just spoke with someone at NVC and she informed me that my package had been mailed out today to Bogota. So I am sending my fiancee (Luisa) all of our paperwork (after I make copies of everything) along with the DS230 (Part 1) Form. However I can not seem to find the OF-169 & DS-2001 Forms. Can someone send these to me??


I was wondering if you knew about ALL the forms she will need for the interview and also any evidence papers you should send. If you can put all of that together now then only spend money to send it all at one time rather than having to mail another international mail package later. Just a thought.
PachucoBroMaleColombia2006-08-15 20:43:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Club

Hi Audrie,

Here are some tips to assist you with your fiancé’s visa process. :thumbs:

Good luck,

Peter Miami


Ok once again I see posts from you Peter, but what info??? your first post in this thread? Are the moderators deleting out your links? All I ver see is your text saying "Read this..." or "Go here..." and that is it... no links or more info.


Well just as an update our petition was approved by CSC on AUG 3 and is now passing through NVC headed towards Bogota. Now on to the next step of researching the Embassy Interview, paperwork and ofcourse Airline issues.

I can already tell it is gonna be near impossible to try and be there in Bogota for the interview then fly back to Barranquilla then back to the states with both of us. I live in Texas and it seems it is near impossible to find airlines that will get me from Texas to Colombia all in one day without spending SERIOUSLY 18-20 hours in and out of airports!

Looking forward to learning more from you guys who have been through it or are also going through it with me. Laterz.
PachucoBroMaleColombia2006-08-14 10:34:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionColombia Club
I just found this thread tonight and I see where there are posts about shortcuts and information, but I don't read any text and don't see any links... Am I missing something?
PachucoBroMaleColombia2006-04-06 23:19:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussionk1 visa police certificate
Just my off the cuff reply... I would not worry too much about having misdemeanors or other smaller, non-violent convictions, especially if a long time in the past. If it is a violent charge against a woman or family member, that might hold things up. Still may not completely STOP everything.

Good luck.
PachucoBroMaleColombia2010-11-02 22:12:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionFlying from Bogotá
My experience with Round Trip tickets for your foreign fiancee on their 'first time entering' trip is this:

The airlines will not allow you (atleast they didn't in 2006) to buy a round trip ticket from Any City, USA to Colombia then returning from Colombia to Any City, USA for your foreign fiancee AND THEY NOT board the plane/use the ticket leaving the USA.

So to explain a little better... It was cheaper for me to buy 2 RT tickets from San Antonio, Tx to BAQ, Colombia than to buy 1 RT ticket and 1 one way ticket for her.

When I got to the airport to check in leaving the USA... They asked where the other person on my itinerary was. I said she is in Colombia and will be using the return ticket only. They told me if she did not check in on the leaving flight the ticket would be cancelled since I bought it on an internet type ticket seller.

Ended up having to cancel the one way ticket and lose $150 and re-purchase a higher priced one way ticket once I was in Colombia.

So be sure to ask if you are planning the same type of work around trying to use a RT ticket. Ask what happens if the other person does not 'check in' on the leaving flight. Can they still check in and use the return flight.

Hope that helps....

Edited by PachucoBro, 21 May 2011 - 10:17 PM.

PachucoBroMaleColombia2011-05-21 22:15:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionTB test, medical

I looked at the new requirements and it seems that they are asking for it. Not sure when or if it is being enforced at the embassy in Bogota.


Do you have a link to the requirements that you read?
PachucoBroMaleColombia2011-08-14 12:18:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsFINALLY AN NOA2 WOOHOO!
Congrats! Keep us posted on how the rest of the process goes...

I have been reading Embassy Reviews for Bogota where people arrive at 5:30am in the morning and end up waiting for their VISA approval till 4-6pm in the evening!

Good luck!
PachucoBroMaleColombia2011-06-09 16:38:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsNOA2. where you go????
Wow Darren... Understand I am a part of the whole VISA process like you... and I have traveled to other countries and seen how others less fortunate live... and have been in love with someone from another country...

All that being said... I have to wonder if you are truly prepared for what it is going to be like when your love arrives in the USA. B&Q said it right... You have to understand that is the way she has lived all her life and to here that is 'normal'. Understand that when she comes to live in your suburban house with fast food places and highways and concrete etc. She may not like it at all and feel sorry that YOU have to live this way. ;)

I look at your timeline for your relationship and WOW it has moved very quickly. Do you speak her language or does she speak English? I know you mentioned you chat or message each other daily.

I wish you luck in your relationship, but keep in mind that what you think she should be grateful for and is normal living may not be something she feels is important. Be sure to accept the fact that she may not know many things we take for granted.

I remember that changing the channel on the car stereo was a frustrating moment till I thought about the fact that some people only ride in the back of taxis if EVER enter a car so how the heck are they supposed to know how to change the channel on the radio. LOL

Take care... and relax if you plan to go to the Embassy. You aren't any more important or special than every other couple that goes through the process.
PachucoBroMaleColombia2011-06-12 19:40:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresVisa Pick up
Well I have been hearing that the new process for receiving your VISA after the interview is....

Go to the DOMESA booth/desk, pay for the delivery and then they tell you it will be 8-10 business days before you receive it at your home address.

I have heard others say you can ask them to deliver it to any address you like or leave it at a DOMESA office and you go to pick it up yourself, but it still takes a couple of days for the Embassy to process it before even DOMESA gets ahold of it.

This is all what I have 'heard' so...
PachucoBroMaleColombia2011-06-12 23:42:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Proceduresi GOT THE VISA
Congats and all...

I am still wondering so did you know the answers to all of these questions? Were there any questions you had to say, "Hmmm, I really don't know, we never really talked about what sorority she joined in college 15 years ago...."

Just curious.
PachucoBroMaleColombia2006-04-04 21:56:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresJust getting started.
Ahh yes... though I knew I needed it, I forgot to include the letter of intent that she needs to sign and date in my post.

Yes, I did go through the K-1 Flowchart and Guide. This is how I knew what forms I needed and other items, etc.

Since my fiancee has never been married and has no kids, there really are no documents in the initial I-129F package that will be in a foreign language. I do not see where it mentions to include a birth certificate of my foreign fiancee. It just says I must send a copy of my birth certificate front and back or alternative paperwork to prove my citezenship.
PachucoBroMaleColombia2006-04-05 00:09:00